The Way the World Ends
by Hypnotix0000
Summary: My take on the end of the game starting from Cerberus HQ.  Feedback is always welcome as this is my first work. Thanks for reading!  Mass Effect is owned by Bioware and EA. I claim nothing.
1. Prologue

The Earth is in flames. The ground is littered with rubble and strewn mutilated bodies, their last agonizing moments etched into their faces. Smoke and screams filled the toxic air, gunfire echoing the fear of a desperate game of survival in the distance.

The streets are filled with the walking dead, ghastly reanimated beings from only the worst nightmare. Cannibals swarmed the fallen, haunting Batarian corpses twisted by machinery, their bodies damaged from battle filled with holes that oozed with a deep, oily blood. Savagely ripping friend and foe alike to pieces, the abominations feed upon the dead, screeching as their wounds begin closing, the blood clotting over the black confines of the monster's core.

Husks, monstrous Humans reduced to beasts, stood moaning watching with cold eyes, lit by cybernetics. They wandered the open ground, mouths open. The death screams of their former lives forever engraved to terrify the living.

In the ruins of the building nearby, two Alliance soldiers sit watching the horror, not daring to move. Their assignment had been simple: stay alive. Their platoon had been pinned, lost in the first hours of the invasion. Communications were cut from the start; there was nothing else to do but fight. To survive by any means necessary. Death surrounded them for more than a week, making each day feel like years of endless struggle.

They were all that remained of more than one hundred. Every man and woman they had fought and served with was dragged into the darkness. With countless possibilities, their fates were too grim to think about. The cannibals rose growling from the scraps of the corpses and began wandering like the husks, sniffing for fresh prey.

Both soldiers dropped flat and began crawling away, desperate to get away. The only sound they could hear was the pounding of their hearts, pushing them to get as much distance between them and the monsters below. Reaching the other side of the building, they both stood and looked out at the wasteland before them.

The sun hung under the black fog of war, painted a vivid red, blanketing the horizon with black, burned shapes of the city. A rain of ash drifted ever downward, trying to bury the wounds of the destruction. The giant, looming forms of Reapers stood over the mayhem, bellowing over their conquest, their columns of fire burning swaths over the ruined landscape.

There was no hope. Looking out over the city that had been considered home, both marines were overwhelmed with dread. Nothing looked like it had before, the symphony of death driving them deeper into despair. Nothing could have prepared them for a war like this.

Then the first hit came. Two shots from the front, depleting one soldier's shields snapped both men back to reality. At the base of the building three cannibals stood watching, growling up and firing at them. Husks were already climbing the sides of the building, racing to find their new targets.

Turning away from the edge, both marines rushed toward an access shaft hoping to find an elevator, a staircase, anything that could let them escape. Forcing the doors open, the room was filled with broken sections of stairs, with drops just short enough to prevent breaking bones with armor support. A snarling from behind forced them to turn and face a half dozen husks charging.

Instantly, a wave of gunfire began ripping through the creatures as they ran, falling to be trampled by the next in line. As they fell, more began to appear, just as ready to claim their kill. Both marines were being pushed back toward the doorway and running low on ammo. One soldier's gun hissed mocking his failure before it was cast aside. Brandishing a pistol, the gap in fire was quickly replaced, but for every shot fired two husks screamed into sight.

Then it happened. Shots from the side hit one man in the shoulder, ripping through the armor as cannibals began pulling themselves over the ledge to chase them. The wounded man got to his feet while the other tried to keep the husks at bay. The cannibals began firing viciously, cutting through any husks unfortunate enough to run through their line of fire.

As the wounded soldier got up, he filled his hole in the defense before looking to the man next to him. As they locked eyes, the wounded man nodded and shoved his pistol into the hand of the other and pushed him through the door.

"No!" the marine screamed. The fall took only a second, but in that moment he saw his friend fight through the husks as they jumped on him, before losing sight of him and landing on his back. He immediately rolled up and stood looking at the door above him, listening to the husks and cannibals wail trying to pin his friend to the floor.

The marine punched the wall before yelling and continuing down the stairwell. The doomed man fought off the pile of husks with his omniblade, yelling, slicing through them with furious swipes, a face of rage behind the helmet.

"You come to our planet and cause all of this chaos!" he yelled, carving through the husks.

"I don't care what you are damn it, we'll fight you to the bitter end." he sputtered as husks pounded on him, trading blow for blow as he fought them.

Bodies slumped beside him as they fell, dragging himself over the corpses to get to the center of the room. As cannibals began hovering over him, the gasping man pulled a grenade from the compartment around his belt, charged it, and set his omnitool to overload. He smiled, looking at the growling, lifeless ghouls standing over him.

"If I die, I'll take you fucking bastards with me." he spat through his teeth. The omnitool began sparking and glowing, warping the armor around the man's arm before detonating.

The soldier below could feel the rumble through his body as he escaped the building, realizing what his friend had done, turned and saw the damage. The fire burned out and upward from the floor he had been on just seconds before. As he turned to find new cover, a boom sounded the collapse of the roof, pushing him into a run as the building started to fall.

Sprinting over the rubble across the road, the man dashed down into the side entrance to a public transit station as enormous waves of dust swept through the dead streets. The soldier leaned against the wall panting, looking for any trace of life. Activating the flashlight on the shoulder the man pushed into the dark, unsure of what he would find.

His steps echoed raucously in the utter quiet, an occasional rumble from outside reminding him of the fight outside. He dared not speak, for fear of attracting more husks and cannibals, keeping his gun trained in the circle of light. Finding the security control room, the man quickly breached the room to find anything he could use to communicate with outside forces.

Luck was on his side, he found a transmitter for national emergencies with a damaged, but useable access panel. He furiously began fixing the panel with his omnitool trying to get the best connection as possible. After a minute of clearing errors the panel sprang to life and gave him access to the feeds from around the country.

His heart sank when he heard what was going out over the airwaves.

"Attention all citizens: This message is a response to armed action against invading forces. The Prime Minister has declared a ceasefire against Reaper forces in talks of negotiation. Any hostile contact with Reaper forces will be considered treason and will result in capital punishment of the highest level. Effective immediately, timestamp 8/14/2186, martial law has been declared. Curfew is effective starting 1700 hours…"

The soldier slumped to the floor, bewildered. He didn't even try to call for help, just sat speechless, trying to contemplate what to do. The government wouldn't help, everything is in turmoil leaving the military scattered to the four corners of the world. This is the end of all he knew.

His gun on the floor, the man stumbled up to his feet shuffling back toward the street. Exiting and climbing the few steps up, the broken marine stood on the curb, staring at the sky. The darkness of it enveloped him, emotion leaving hot tears rolling down the side of his face.

_I miss the sky, the bright, blue sky._ He thought.

He heard the bullhorn of a Reaper as it touched down near the building that had just been demolished. As the towering machine roared again, husks and cannibals began pouring from the ruins around him. He stood motionless, still gazing at the sky that burned over the scarred planet.

_This is it; this is the way the world ends._ He thought.

His mind flashed to the day of the invasion, saying goodbye to his family, the soft kiss of his wife. He remembered the sun's warmth as he flew toward HQ that day, the view over the deep, blue sea. It was all so beautiful, and it all felt like ages ago. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath full of smoke and death, remembering the smell of the water. He heard the rolling water crash to shore as the horde thundered toward him.

Then the memories ceased, the bullhorn of the Reaper flooded his mind, causing him to instinctively cover his ears screaming; a useless gesture.

_You belong to us. Give up, do not resist. Accept your destruction; accept your fate. _The machine screamed in his head.

His memories were changing. He couldn't remember his wife or son, what they looked like. He only saw death, his life and home being reduced to ashes.

_No! I won't forget my life. I will fight you!_ He thought.

"I'm not giving up!" he screamed at the machine. The marine turned and faced the enemies before him, he was hopelessly outnumbered and he knew it.

"Come on!" he yelled, his omniblade sparked to life.

He gritted his teeth when a deep, terrible scraping in his head nearly brought him to his knees as the Reaper roared. He charged forward, not caring what happened to him as cannibals opened fire. A volley of red projectiles hurtled toward him, almost instantly ripping through his shields as he tore through the first two husks.

Body after body swarmed over him driving him back, each one screeching as the orange blade sliced through it. The Reaper sounded its' bullhorn again, forcing itself into the soldier's mind. The pain the machine caused him, made him stop for a moment; just long enough for a cannibal to get a shot through his torso. The man grunted, a spurt of blood escaped his lips and ran down the front of his armor, the red standing out against the dirty blue.

Still the man fought for survival, forcing the husks off of him through sheer will. Yelling as he fought, the soldier could see a bright spot behind the cannibals. For only a moment, he recognized his family behind the monsters, smiling and beckoning, motioning for him. Their memory spurred him out of the horde of husks and dashed headlong into the cannibals.

The creatures howled as they rushed toward him, drooling over a fresh kill. The first fell to the blade that pierced its' face, crashing to the ground. Quickly spinning around the soldier caught two more cannibals in the front with the full blade across the chest, rotten bones crunching under the pressure with chunks of flesh and machinery falling out.

One cannibal slammed its' gun arm down over his back, dropping him to all fours. The cannibal launched onto him, as he rolled over and sliced the gun arm off before kicking the mutant over his head into another behind him.

Getting to his feet panting, the soldier picked up the cannibal arm and slammed the omniblade into the warped flesh, hoping it would fire. A short series of sparks jumped through the monstrous weapon before firing a dozen unfocused rounds into the screaming mob.

As the nightmarish foes regrouped, the marine could feel the Reaper raking its' influence over his mind. His family was all he could see, they drove him forward keeping him alive.

Yet there they stood, bloody and broken before him. His wife's long blonde hair was stained red with blood, with burnt and frayed edges. His son stood still, his eyes red from crying. Their clothes and skin were scorched with dark holes. Wounds oozed as if they were fresh. The smile on his wife's lips parted and the words of the Reaper came out.

"You cannot stop this. It is inevitable to resist. Your world will burn and all you know will be destroyed." The horror before him said.

Both of them then began to disintegrate before his eyes; fire erupting from within them they disappeared, carried away by the wind screaming; leaving the man in a heap crying in the street.

_Give in to your doom. Give up your petty struggle. It cannot be stopped, the cycle must continue. _The Reaper proclaimed.

The cannibals were upon the man in moments, quickly dispensing him and devouring what they could after ripping the armor to pieces. The Reaper stood over the carnage and sounded its' bullhorn again in triumph as the cannibals fed on the soldier.

Earth is in the deepest level of Hell. The Reapers have come to unleash their nightmare upon not just Humanity, but on the galaxy itself and everything is hanging in the balance. There were warnings, but none were heeded. Now, on the precipice on utter annihilation, one man, Alliance Commander John Shepard has been on a mission of galactic importance: to build an army to fight the Reapers; to forge alliances that can conquer the impossible; to do what no other has done before; to break the cycle of extinction the Reapers cause and to free the galaxy of their nightmare.

Only one obstacle stands between him and his goal: Cerberus, the organization responsible for numerous war crimes against other species and even other Humans, and the group who brought Shepard back from the dead.

Their leader, The Illusive Man had intended to fight and control the Reapers but has become delusional, accepting their upgrades for his own forces to use. They are all pawns in his game, used not just for battle, but also as test subjects, warped by their implants and studied for weaknesses in Reaper technologies.

They now stand against everything they once fought for, and they now have the vital piece of information needed to finish the weapon intended to destroy the Reapers, the Crucible. The Prothean VI known as Vendetta holds the information about the Catalyst, the last piece of the puzzle. Shepard is now staging the battle against the main Cerberus stronghold to reclaim Vendetta and the identity of the Catalyst.


	2. Chapter 1

Dark, cloudy skies hung over Commander Shepard as he ran through dead trees and intangible shadows, ashes gently drifting downward. Fear and adrenaline pushed him forward, away from the familiar voices he heard.

_Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong._

_Shepard-Commander, does this unit have a soul?_

_You are a great protector, Shepard, but some things are beyond even you._

_Just a few scratches and dents, hope it just gives me character._

The dead spoke in Shepard's head, the frenzied beat of his heart doing nothing to drown them out. The shadows glided around him, blocking the path to what he chased. A child, one he had seen killed on Earth, cowered in front of him. A red light hung over him, the roar of a Reaper bullhorn caused the boy to flee down the trail.

Shepard chased the boy through the shadows. His voice failed him as he called out, his lungs burning. The shadows whispered to him, though he couldn't hear the words. The boy came to a stop as a sea of shadows surrounded him. Shepard stretched his arm out and reached for the child, his friends still speaking in his head.

The child was swept away in a flash of movement in the shadows, as they dispersed Shepard swept his gaze around in every direction and found the child behind him, standing, watching him. The shadows reappeared behind the child, massing into one form, becoming a wall of darkness.

Shepard approached the boy hesitantly, his hand outstretched to snatch the child from the abyss behind him. To his horror, the boy turned and ran straight into the dark shroud, causing Shepard to chase after him. The moment the Commander touched the dark mass, visions of his life flashed by.

He saw his childhood on the ship his mother served on, entering the Alliance academy; his promotion into the N7 program; his tour on Elysium and the Skyllian Blitz. Then he saw the mission to Eden Prime, his hunt for Saren. He saw the people he met, and lost. He saw the moment Kaidan died on Virmire. He saw Saren shoot himself before bursting into flames. He heard Sovereign's warning before he felt the fire of the Normandy's destruction and the breathless feeling of empty space.

The next moment, a gasp escaped his throat as he remembered waking up confused, and finding himself alive. He thought of his reluctant acceptance of Cerberus' aid and their mutual goal to stop the Collectors. He saw the slaughter propagated by the Collector abductions, countless faces forever lost. He remembered boarding the inactive Reaper to steal away its' secrets, using it to find the core of the galaxy. He heard the roar of the abomination in the Collector base; a Human shaped Reaper, formed from liquefied victims. He remembered going against the Illusive Man and destroying the Collector ship, cutting his ties to Cerberus.

He thought of Aratoht and the lives lost because of carelessness. He remembered freeing Dr. Kenson and escaping, and her indoctrination from Object Rho. He heard Harbinger mock his efforts as the project base hurtled toward the Alpha Relay. He saw the flash of the Bahak system as the asteroid collided and the Relay consumed the system, wiping out the 300,000 lives in it. He heard Hackett debrief him and warn him of the political storm coming, before he heard the explosive roar of the Reapers' invasion.

Light filled his eyes as he came through the darkness, still finding himself in a barren waste. The shadows whispered the names of his friends, both dead and alive behind him, filling him with despair. The boy was several yards away, running down the path away from the Commander. Following closely, Shepard dashed after him, but stopped when he saw what the boy ran to. Just ahead of him he saw his squad, all of them, dead and alive; the people who stood beside him through this fight. The boy easily weaved through them, never looking back before fleeing down the path. His squad stood watching him as he came down into the clearing toward them. The moment Shepard got close enough, the shadows surrounded him and his squad.

Shepard still couldn't speak as he stood before his friends and comrades, afraid, while they all just stood staring at him. His emotions were plain to see on his face, but his crew remained stoic and uncaring; in the middle of them stood Tali, the woman he loved. Shepard pushed his way through them all to get to her until he stood face to face with her. Putting his arms around her, he held her tighter than he ever thought he could for what felt like a lifetime.

To his surprise he felt her pushing away from him. The feeling was like being torn in half as she forced herself out of his embrace. He looked into her visor and saw her eyes were wide, darting back and forth. Shepard stood dumbfounded as Tali turned and stormed away, dissolving into thin air. Shepard watched as his crew each backed away from him, fading into the gloomy grey sky.

Slumping to his knees, Shepard felt lost. He always had support, there was always a voice of encouragement to pick him up in these moments, and now they were all gone. His attention came back when he heard the boy crying around the bend. Shepard dragged himself to his feet before stumbling toward the sound. The boy was walking further ahead and crying, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.

Shepard forced the air through his throat but still no sound escaped. Shepard pushed himself into a run trying to catch up to the boy, making the dead leaves around the ground scatter as he ran. The boy turned and saw the Commander and ran faster as more shadows blocked the path behind him. As Shepard pushed through the shadows, he saw the boy running toward a soldier. The man turned and kneeled to hug the child as Shepard came closer.

He realized when the man picked his head up and saw him that he was looking at himself. Shepard gazed on as the boy turned to him and stared with his other self. The red light appeared over them both as they smiled at him. The eyes on the other Shepard changed sinking back more into his head and becoming blue like the Reaper husks. Fire erupted from the ground consuming them both as Shepard stood watching in horror. Then, the nightmare ended.

Shepard's eyes snapped open as he awoke with a slight gasp. He saw stars passing by the window over his bed before turning to see Tali beside him, sleeping quietly. Her face was peaceful, a slight smile on her lips. Her slight frame rose and fell as she took each breath. He held his gaze, taking in every moment he could.

He slowly rolled up on the side of the bed, trying not to make any noise, rubbing his forehead thinking about the nightmare that plagued him. He took a deep sigh before standing to get a drink. He quietly crossed over the room and up the steps before getting into the bathroom and turning on the sink. He took the glass from the side and filled it, drinking it quickly before gathering more in his hands, splashing it over his face.

_These nightmares are getting worse. I don't know how much more of this I can take._ He thought.

Turning his head he looked at the hair growing on his face, rubbing it with his hand. He looked closer at his eyes, noting the dark rings forming under them.

_I look like crap. This war's been rougher than even I thought it would._

Pulling out a flat, long metal device, he slid the top over and revealed an edge that hummed with a dull, blue glow.

_I really need a new razor, this one's getting old._ He thought as he swept it over his jaw.

After finishing with the razor Shepard left the bathroom and found Tali in the middle of reassembling her suit. She looked over and saw him, her face breaking into a smile when she met his eyes.

"Hey." she said, sealing the torso piece.

He crossed over to where his own uniform lay.

"Hey." he replied. Shepard put the upper gear on before pulling the pants up and retrieving the boots.

"What's up?" Tali asked. She turned toward him and looked for an answer. Her concern was clear on her face.

Shepard stopped, and looked at her. He couldn't tell her about what he had seen in the nightmare. He knew it was just the stress.

"I've been thinking about the war, about the lives depending on us. I don't know if it'll be enough." He said as he dropped his gaze.

"What about you, are you all right?" he asked, finishing his boots.

"I'm alright, our bodies adapt quickly. No more negative reaction to you." She said, strapping the arm pieces on.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked, turning back to him.

He sat next to her on the bed, returning her gaze.

"I don't know if I will, but I have to. Everything depends on what happens in the next few hours. This war will decide the future of the galaxy." He lamented.

Tali reached over and clasped one of his hands with her bare hands.

"Shepard, I know you have your doubts, but you've done more than anyone else could have. You united the galaxy." She beamed.

"My people are at peace with the geth Shepard. A year ago, I wouldn't have thought it was possible. You did that for us, you gave us back our home, and a tomorrow." She cooed.

"I know it's been hard on you. I don't know how you do it, but I'm always here for you Shepard, _always._" They locked eyes, reading each other with their gazes.

"I love you." she whispered, leaning in to kiss him.

"I love you too, Tali." Their lips met and Shepard felt his strength returning to him.

"You're right. This has to be done, and we're the ones who're going to do it." he said standing.

Tali finished her suit and kissed Shepard again before sealing the visor in place.

"Let's go finish this." he said with a nod. She nodded in return.

"I'm right behind you." she replied.

* * *

><p>Shepard entered the comm. room to find Admiral Hackett's virtual form waiting for him.<p>

"Commander Shepard, the Alliance fleet is positioned just outside the Anadius cluster. We need to take Cerberus out of this war. The Illusive Man has the VI we need and we're not stopping until we get it back." he relayed.

"I understand sir. We're prepared for this." Shepard replied.

"This is important Commander, without that VI we're dead in the water with the Crucible. It's your priority in this mission even the Illusive Man is secondary. We'll distract Cerberus and try to suppress escape efforts while you infiltrate the station." Hackett concluded.

"Understood sir, we won't fail now." Shepard affirmed.

"I'll let you get to it then Commander. Be careful; and good luck out there, Hackett out."

The projection of Hackett dissipated as Shepard turned out toward the war room and saw the Cronos station display appear over the center. Looking over it, the Commander counted two dreadnoughts and three cruisers positioned around the tall station with several frigates and a greater division of fighter squadrons filling in the gaps.

_This won't be easy. The Illusive Man knows we're coming._ Shepard thought leaning against the rim.

With so many Reaper upgrades their fighting force could stand against a sizeable fleet, and any unsuspecting travelers would be utterly destroyed in an instant. It felt like an impenetrable fortress summing the amount of defenses together. Then Shepard realized something.

_He's scared. He knows he can't win anymore. The Reapers have abandoned him and now they're alone out here._

A slight grin came over his face as the door in front of him opened and EDI appeared.

"Shepard, I would like to request to accompany you to the Cerberus base." she stated stepping down to the center.

"Something I should know EDI?" Shepard asked walking around the side.

"I was designed using Reaper code and Cerberus algorithms. This gives me an advantage in bypassing Cerberus security protocols and would allow easier access to their networks."

Shepard crossed his arms and leaned against the rim of the center display.

"You sure about this? We could probably get around it ourselves. The Illusive Man would also likely have a contingency for if you returned too." he said plainly.

"I have considered these possibilities and have decided to assist you in this operation Shepard. If the Illusive Man has a kill switch, it may just deactivate this platform. In this case I will survive but will be unable to physically assist you further." she commented.

Shepard looked over the artificial face of the AI in front of him, almost analyzing it. He saw determination, something a machine shouldn't have. A human emotion was displayed over her face.

"All right then tell Joker to be on standby, then get ready and head down to the shuttle. We're waiting for Hackett's signal." he said straightening up.

"Yes, Shepard." she replied.

EDI turned and quickly moved back out toward the CIC with Shepard following behind. After passing through the security screen, Joker's voice appeared.

"Commander, we've got some incoming transmissions from several allied ships. You may want to hear this for yourself sir." the voice said.

The edge in his voice pushed Shepard through the CIC to the cockpit with EDI now right behind him. Several blinking panels were aligned over Joker's display, each one with a tag reading "urgent".

"Go ahead Joker." Shepard said as he reached the back of the pilot's chair.

The first panel quickly filled the display and the Rachni queen appeared with the Asari messenger who he had met on Illium. Her eyes were rolled back in her head to allow the queen to speak directly.

"Shepard, the Rachni have twice been kept from extinction. This is because of you and we will never forget you, we will forever sing your name as a champion of our people. But we heard a resonance of pain, the dull, grey music of your Cerberus echoed through space when they hurt our children after our freedom, silencing them like the machines did. We would aid your muting of their songs." the Asari proclaimed.

"I understand you want to help us, but how would you fight? I didn't think the Rachni had actual weapons and armor to fight with." Shepard replied.

"We sing our songs of war, the rumbling crimson waves of vengeance will rally our finest soldiers. Their armor is dense enough to withstand small weapons. Our brood warriors also fight with your biotics and have harmonized the blue and purple melody of focus from this host, giving our children barriers. We were formidable before and we are stronger now, let us sing of triumph together." the thrall now stood silent, waiting for an answer.

Shepard stood thinking, watching the Asari and the queen behind her.

"Okay then, contact Hackett and inform him of your forces and my support, then get ready for his signal. Once we start our attack, we'll likely be on our own, so be careful." he said calmly.

"Shepard, we would also allow you to communicate with us for ease of communication. It would only require a short experience." the Asari said before her eyes rolled back into place.

"Commander, I know you may be hesitant, but the queen means you no harm, she will simply put her song in your mind. You will experience a flash of sound and color and then you will hear the harmonious song of the Rachni people." she stated with a smile.

Shepard nodded his head as the Asari closed her eyes and the queen warbled softly.

"Close your eyes Commander and hear the music of life. Leave all other thoughts out of your mind and hear the music in the dark."

Shepard closed his eyes and voided the war from his thoughts, leaving the hum of the ship as his only tie to the world around him. Then he felt it, the deep orange of the Normandy flowed through his mind filling his vision, pulsating and rippling off of the crew inside it.

Then he heard the cold black and blue of space and the roar of its power outside. Through that, Shepard heard a faint sound reminding him of the choirs on Earth. This sound had a bright center, as small as a star in the distance, but it grew as he felt himself drifting toward it. A golden ball of light became the center and as Shepard grew closer, and the sounds of voices singing and the warm light enveloped him.

At the center of the light, the loudest voice leading the song took the vague shape of the queen. Her voice was unlike anything Shepard could describe, but he saw the shimmering white and gold that was emanating from her.

"This is our voice, our song to sing to the galaxy. It is the grand legacy of the Rachni, and it glows so brilliantly because of you. Our voices will unite as one with yours. You are as kin to us now. Let us sing our song together." she sang boldly.

Shepard felt his body hum with the golden energy as the queen trilled with her brood and with the Rachni of generations long since gone. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he felt a chill run up his spine, the hum of the Rachni whispered in his mind as the queen and the Asari looked at him. The Asari smiled as she cut the transmission.

"Uh what was that? You okay there Commander? The last thing we need is for you turn into a bug right now." Joker quipped as he spun around with his chair.

"I'll be fine Joker, but I think I understand a little of what Javik said about knowledge through touch. I could see the Normandy and the Rachni as colors, and sounds I had never heard before. It was amazing… and almost overwhelming." Shepard said with a sigh.

"Well let's hope everybody else doesn't have a mentally jarring "experience" they want to "show" you, huh Commander?" Joker said turning back to his display.

"Right, now what's next?"

The second notice sprang out over the projection and opened to show a motionless Geth prime waiting.

"Commander Shepard, the Geth wish to assist you on your infiltration of the Cerberus vessel. We received data of a Cerberus operation that has since been abandoned classified as "Overlord". Our people were the basis of the experiment." The prime said flatly.

"I know; I was the one who shut it down." Shepard said grimly.

"Thousands of units in hundreds of mobile platforms were terminated in pursuit of the subjugation of synthetic life. We request your approval for cooperative assault. Our upgraded software could run jamming programs over networked channels to render them 87.46% nonfunctional and provide additional ground fire assistance." The prime summarized.

"I'll take whatever help I can get. Contact Admiral Hackett and tell him you're joining the assault party, you'll be coordinating with EDI. Prepare whatever you need for accessing their security since they have Reaper tech, and wait for the signal." Shepard relayed.

"Acknowledged." the Geth rumbled before closing the connection.

"Well that was painless, huh?" Joker said.

"Seems like it. The Geth are really proving to be reliable allies now that it's been decided they don't want to kill us." Shepard said with a slight grin.

"So, when were you going to tell me EDI was involved in this plan of yours?" Joker asked. Whipping around in his chair, Joker had fire in his eyes and a serious look on his face.

"I understand why you're upset but it was EDI's idea, and I agree with her." The Commander said.

"Shepard, I will explain it myself." EDI said, stepping around him to face Joker.

"Jeff, I requested to accompany Shepard into the station because of my knowledge of Cerberus operating patterns and security algorithms. With my assistance, we have a higher probability of success." EDI stated.

"So when was I going to be told about this, when you're on the shuttle? I just— what if they have some kind of kill switch or an EMP or something like that?" Joker asked.

"Jeff, I know there are risks, but I have to help in any way I can, in whatever capacity. It is my duty." She said.

Joker sighed and hung his head for a moment before meeting her eyes again.

"I am more than I ever thought I could be thanks of you. I have freedom to do as I see fit because of you, and I serve to protect us from the Reapers. I would risk non-functionality for you, Jeff." EDI said kneeling in front of Joker.

Joker dropped his head again a moment, taking a long sigh before reaching out and embracing EDI. The surprised AI returned his affection, but did not break his embrace.

"Just… just don't die on me in there, will ya? I don't want to go back to having to do _all_ the piloting around here you know." he said, trying to stay upbeat.

"I will make the effort to keep my head down more frequently." She replied. "That—

Joker chuckled to himself a little.

"A joke, I know, thanks. Stay safe in there." he said as EDI helped him back up into his chair.

The quiet moment was broken by the sound of an alert on the display, which made Joker instantly turn back toward the front of the ship.

"Got a transmission from Admiral Hackett on the line Commander; patching it in now." Joker said as his fingers flew over the panel. The display lit up with the face of Admiral Hackett.

"Commander, I'm getting transmissions from allied ships from all over the armada. They all want to help put a stop to Cerberus' plans. The incident on the Citadel gave them a glimpse of how depraved Cerberus has become, but the slaughterhouse on Sanctuary pushed the hatred of Cerberus over the top." Hackett explained.

"As it stands now, with the numbers we have we could hold them off, but with all of this support, we could cut Cerberus down faster than we thought possible. Every possible FTL escape route is being monitored and our fleet is positioned around the cluster." Hackett concluded.

"This was meant to be our mistake to correct, but with so many affected by Cerberus I can't ignore them. I want to keep them all fresh for when we hit Earth though." Hackett stated.

"I understand sir, but with respect, this isn't just our problem anymore. Cerberus allied themselves with the Reapers. That made them an enemy to every civilized species in the galaxy. They're a threat, and just because the Reapers abandoned them doesn't make them any less of a threat." said Shepard sternly.

"I agree with you Commander, this will be the first step in ending this war, but can we really risk so much of our force for stopping Cerberus?" Hackett asked.

"I know it'll work sir, I've already received messages from the Rachni and the Geth giving their support. We can do this we just need your approval sir." Shepard assured.

Hackett stood silent, thinking to himself for a moment before locking eyes with Shepard.

"Alright then Commander, this is an interspecies operation as of now. I'll start coordinating new formations and teams; then we start our assault on the station. I'll be in touch, Hackett out." the Admiral concluded as his transmission ended.

Shepard breathed out, knowing that Cerberus was waiting for their arrival. He turned to leave the cockpit with EDI close behind before Joker called him back.

"Commander, you still have one of these transmissions waiting for you. Should I just put 'em on hold or you know, something." the pilot called from behind his chair.

"Damn, I forgot all about it. Go ahead Joker put it through." Shepard said turning back.

The notice quickly covered the display and an almost unrecognizable face of a man appeared. He had a short beard and moustache with dark brown hair. A burn scar was visible on the left side of his face covering from his eye down to the jaw and back to the ear. The eye itself was clouded. The other brow had a scar that ran down over the eye to the cheek.

"Shepard, do still remember me? My name is Toombs. You helped me once with a Cerberus doctor named Wayne. You talked me down from shooting the bastard and assured me they would all pay for their crimes, but you lied, they haven't; I blame you for that." Toombs said grimly.

"Toombs, you know I only—

"I also blame you for turning your back on me and every other victim of their evil. You disappeared after your ship was destroyed, but you weren't among those rescued; everyone thought you were dead. But you were alive you joined Cerberus after faking your own death. I told you I would hunt down every team of Cerberus bastards I could find, and here's the hive. So what happens now, Shepard?" the corporal asked.

"Toombs, there was more to it than that. I _did_ die that day on the Normandy. Cerberus recovered me and rebuilt me over those two years I was gone! I know what happened with me and Cerberus was unexpected, even for me, but you have to understand I only worked with them because they were the only ones investigating the colony disappearances. I never agreed with their policies before and I still don't, and I intend to bury them here." Shepard stated, crossing his arms.

"You still betrayed us, but we have to work together, but if it weren't for the war and the Reapers I'd come for you too, Shepard. I would rather see every trace of life wiped from the galaxy before ever letting them live, you included. You have my team's cooperation, but you don't have our trust; Toombs out." Malice dripped from his words as he cut the link.

"So… that was a happy little reunion, eh Commander?" Joker said, spinning around in his chair.

"I didn't think Toombs would become this obsessed with Cerberus. I guess he won't be satisfied until this base plummets into the sun, which isn't a bad idea really." Shepard said concerned.

"I would agree with the corporal there too, Shepard." said Tali as she entered the cockpit.

"Cerberus has done horrendous things to so many people, your own included. How could we _not_ hate what they've become?" she continued.

"You do realize they were responsible for putting me back together, right?" Shepard said in an almost teasing tone.

"And it was the only thing they ever got right. They brought you back from the dead, and as much as I appreciate what they did then, it doesn't make up for their actions, past or present." She said with conviction.

"Tali, am I also included in Cerberus' list of wrongful choices?" EDI asked innocently.

"Oh! I'm sorry EDI. You aren't a mistake, in fact you are the only synthetic I would trust to watch my back, besides Legion." Tali said with a hint of sadness.

The cockpit was quiet for a moment before EDI spoke.

"I am sorry for making the situation unpleasant, Tali. Legion was a reliable… friend and ally." EDI stated.

"No no, it's alright EDI. Legion sacrificed it… himself to give the Geth true sentience, and even though there are old wounds that will take time to heal, I've come to accept that they are an inseparable part of our culture, even an extension of us. Even now, they are helping us rebuild Rannoch, despite what we tried to do to them for centuries." Tali said with some melancholy.

"They already moved on from the past. I just wish it was as easy for us to move on." she concluded.

Again the cockpit sat in silence for a moment before Shepard spoke.

"We all regret what happened to Legion, but there was no way to give the Geth their freedom without the code he had. Even he said there was no other way. It doesn't matter now though, the Geth gained sentience, the Quarians have Rannoch to live on again, and both are at peace." he said proudly.

"Now, we deal with Cerberus, and after we wipe them out and get the secret to the Catalyst, we'll do the same to the Reapers, won't we?" he asked.

"You got that right Commander." Joker affirmed. EDI nodded in reply.

"I'm right behind you Shepard, always." Tali replied.

Shepard nodded with a slight grin on his face. Even in the jaws of utter annihilation his friends still stood beside him. The odds of surviving this war, let alone winning it, were practically zero. Yet they stayed to fight with him against all odds. He felt reassured in his actions when an alert tone came over the pilot display. Joker instantly spun back around, his fingers flying over the projection.

"Commander, it came from Hackett's ship. It's the signal we've been waiting on. There's a transmission waiting too, I'll patch it in." Joker stated calmly. Hackett's face appeared over the monitor.

"Commander, the fleet is ready, we have the new battle formations arranged and we're ready to take the fight to Cerberus. You'll be leading the infiltration group; once on board, you need to rendezvous with the Geth squad and push toward the center of the base. We believe the Illusive Man is there with the VI. The Rachni will provide additional ground support after sweeping the area of heavy resistance. Are you ready to go?" Hackett asked.

"We're ready Admiral, give the word." Shepard replied confidently.

The Admiral nodded before speaking again.

"This is Admiral Hackett to all allied ships: All hands on deck and prepare for battle. Everyone to your stations! You all have your orders; we do this quick and by the numbers, let's make Cerberus pay for what they've done to us all." Hackett shouted through the comm.

"Good luck in there, Commander." Hackett concluded as the image disappeared. Shepard turned to EDI and Tali and nodded before speaking.

"This is it, you heard the man let's move!" he said.

Tali and EDI both hurried out and Shepard strode out behind them, his pace at just more than a fast walk. As EDI and Tali approached the elevator, Shepard nodded to Samantha Traynor who replied in kind. The ride down to the cargo bay was silent, leaving the humming sound of the elevator descending on the track.

As the door opened, Steve Cortez was already finishing his prep work on the enhanced Kodiak shuttle. He noticed Shepard and the team as they stepped out toward the armory and quickly ran over.

"Shepard, the shuttle's ready to go when you are, sir." the pilot said quickly with a salute.

"At ease Steve, it's going to be fine. With all the support against Cerberus, we'll be back in no time." Shepard said with a grin.

The pilot quickly nodded and ran back to the shuttle while Shepard slid the torso piece of his armor over his head. As he finished locking pieces of armor in place, Tali approached him while securing a Geth shotgun to her back.

"Do you think it will be as easy as we hope?" she asked with some concern.

"With the Reaper upgrades, I don't know, but we're going to give them one hell of a fight for that VI." he replied honestly.

Shepard reached into the armory and retrieved his weapons, strapping them onto his back before turning back to Tali.

"It's time to stop this pointless infighting and deal with the Reapers head on. The Illusive Man's going to regret siding against his own cause, and I don't even think he realizes it yet." he said as they stepped on the shuttle.

The door closed behind them and the shuttle shook as it came to life. Cortez's hands quickly danced over the display as Hackett's voice came through the shuttle's panel.

"Commander, you are clear for launch, I repeat: your mission starts now."


	3. Chapter 2

In the empty depths of the Anadius cluster, the Alliance fleet poured through the relay, the star's light shining like a beacon. One after another, ships of all sizes emerged from the relay in battle formations ready to fight. Two dreadnoughts were all that stayed to guard the relay while the ships kept coming. The fleet moved in unison as they began their approach to the star while other alien ships began to appear after the Alliance.

Quarian and Geth ships emerged and followed behind the Alliance while Turian ships filed in behind them. As the Turians emerged other Council ships from all races followed, led by the Destiny Ascension and flanked by dreadnoughts on both sides. Hundreds of smaller foreign ships, between the size of fighters and frigates, identified as Rachni appeared behind the Council forces bringing up the rear.

The armada itself numbered in thousands of ships, from dreadnoughts and carriers to fighters and they all moved with purpose toward the star hiding their foe. Like a beehive, Cronos station launched the full force of their fleet to protect their wealth of knowledge. The dreadnoughts charged with cruisers between them, a swarm of sacrificial fighters in front to deflect damage from larger ships. A deep blue barrier formed over every ship in their possession as they flew ever closer. The Normandy sat on the frontline of the fleet watching the approaching mass of ships close the gap.

"This is Hackett to all Alliance ships, open fire on my mark; target their frigates and cruisers first. Admiral Gerrel, I want the Quarian and Geth tech ships outside the cluster hacking their ship functions, now. Primarch Victus, the Council forces will focus fire on dreadnoughts while the infiltration teams get around their main guns. I want the Rachni ships hammering every available ship in sight." Hackett ordered over the comm.

Weapons in the fleet began priming as the Cerberus ships closed in. Suddenly, a shot was fired from a Cerberus dreadnought that exceeded Alliance firing parameters, lancing through several fighters and destroying them, narrowly avoiding Hackett's flagship the SSV Darwin. The other Cerberus ships began firing volleys immediately, their shots displaced only thanks to Geth and Quarian interference.

"Open fire, give them hell!" Hackett bellowed.

Instantly every Alliance ship began firing into the swarms of fighters, their new barriers doing little under the combined force, destroying them and scattering those who remained while leaving the larger ships vulnerable. The Rachni ships surged from the back and began firing on their targets, while the Alliance began bombarding cruiser and frigate alike.

"There is the opening we need. Infiltration teams are clear for their approach; we need to keep that gap open." Hackett ordered.

Council ships pressed forward, circumnavigating the barrage and quickly opened fire on the Cerberus dreadnoughts while the Normandy and several smaller ships raced out and quickly flew beyond the battle, losing a couple through the crossfire.

The combined might of the Destiny Ascension and its flanking ships fired on the largest dreadnought, but their rounds vaporized on contact with the barrier the ship had erected, leaving no damage. The dreadnought returned fire with a large beam that was instantly recognized as Thanix technology. The beam crashed onto an Asari dreadnought and hammered through their defenses opening a large hole in the top before exploding.

"Someone talk to me, that gun just ripped a dreadnought to pieces, I need a report." Hackett said with some concern.

"Sir, Quarian-Geth preliminary scans show the new barriers are in fact meant to absorb the energy of our rounds and reinforce their armaments." One operator shouted.

"So how the hell can we stop something that gets stronger as we fight it?" the Admiral asked grimly.

* * *

><p>The Normandy approached Cronos station as close as possible before the shuttle emerged. The small craft then darted off toward a ship hangar as the rest of the infiltration ships found other hangars to land in as well.<p>

"I got to get back to the battle, but I'll wait until Cortez is back before then. You better keep EDI safe for me, good luck in there Commander."Joker said through the display in the shuttle.

"Don't worry about us, just keep the Normandy in one piece until we get back; right EDI?" Shepard asked turning to the AI.

"Yes Shepard; do not worry Jeff, I will be safe." she replied with a nod.

Joker's face disappeared as Shepard checked on the other teams.

"This is Commander Shepard, all infiltration teams report in." he said urgently.

"This is unit 501845, Geth units are clear Commander." came a synthesized voice.

"Roger, you'll be working with EDI to disrupt Cerberus security channels. We need to make sure we encounter as little resistance as possible until we can figure out where the VI is." Shepard relayed.

"Acknowledged; our ships' preliminary disruptions provide additional data for security bypass. We will enable a link to our collective processes for EDI." replied the Geth.

Shepard turned to see EDI's visor turn to static for a moment before analytical data and small displays appeared on it. Her synthetic eyes darted back and forth quickly breaking down every piece of the data until multiple sections appeared and then disappeared in the blink of an eye. The whole process lasted less than thirty seconds.

"I have successfully linked into the Geth collective. Our combined efforts will keep Cerberus security in disarray." EDI stated looking to Shepard.

"Good, keep me updated on the security, we'll need it to get out of this." Shepard replied before closing his eyes.

The moment his eyes closed, his head filled with the chirping and screeching sounds of Rachni. The force of their song almost totally dispelled the wretched, black humming he felt from the station. The light of Anadius shone brighter than any of the other presences around him.

"Shepard, the Rachni feel your energy, we are awaiting your command. Let your thoughts find their harmony and we will hear you."

Shepard heard the Rachni queen in his head and then thought of his orders and concentrated until he felt a small ripple pulse from him. The wave washed over the shining image of the Rachni, giving them his thoughts.

"I hear you, and I need your soldiers to route heavy resistance in the base. We can redirect them to you even, but we need your power to hold them down while we get what we came for."

The sounds of the Rachni immediately grew louder as they all confirmed their orders. Many of them started rustling around the queen, eagerly waiting for the battle to begin.

"We will listen, and we will obey Shepard. They need not come to us, we will find them. The Rachni will sing in the shadows, and whisper the death song to the grey ones."

Shepard opened his eyes and felt a chill as Cortez sped the shuttle right into the Cerberus hangar field. The entry was shaky; hitting the field tore 60% of the shuttle's shields off as Shepard felt the shuttle spiral down to the hangar floor.

"Brace for impact; hang on to something everybody!" Cortez yelled as his hands scrambled over the interface.

The shuttle's remaining shields dropped the moment it touched the ground and slid across the hangar with a bone-jarring screech, before coming to a stop. Cortez gritted his teeth and held a hand to his temple shaking off the impact and looking over the damage. Shepard, Tali and EDI all unstrapped themselves from the seat harnesses.

"Is everybody alright?" Shepard asked.

"I'm fine, if just a little shook up." Tali said.

"I have received no significant damage, Shepard." EDI replied.

"I'll be alright too. Damn, shuttle's nearly gone Shepard. I'll do what I can to get it running again but we won't last if Cerberus damages the shuttle anymore." the pilot said frantically.

"How long would you need, Steve?" Shepard replied after standing.

"At the worst, I'd say ten minutes sir." Cortez stated.

"Then get on it, we'll provide a distraction while you get the shuttle running." Shepard said before moving to the door.

As the team stepped out, a Geth shuttle flew in through the field but purged their drive on collision allowing them to pass with minimal resistance and land gently. The shuttle landed next to the Kodiak and a troop of twelve Geth units filtered out in a single file line, a black prime unit was the last out.

"I take it they got through because of you, EDI?" Shepard asked the AI.

"Correct, my firsthand experience allowed quantum analysis by the Geth to prevent damage to their shuttle." EDI replied.

"The Rachni may not be so lucky there, but we can deal with that in a minute. EDI, take a protective detail of Geth and start hacking the systems, Tali and I will take several Geth platforms and cover the entry points. I need one unit to help Cortez as well. Joker's needed in the battle." Shepard said plainly.

"Yes, right away Shepard." EDI replied.

The AI moved toward two Geth hunters and they each quickly stepped beside EDI before moving toward the closest access point. The other Geth approached Tali and Shepard while one unit quickly boarded the Kodiak, causing a slight yelp from Cortez to be heard outside.

"Alright, time for a head count. How many other Geth shuttles have touched down?" Shepard asked.

"Ten shuttles have arrived, the remaining two were shot down Commander." the prime bellowed as Shepard nodded.

"Here's what we're going to do, Cortez is fixing our shuttle right now and EDI's working on bypassing security, we need to cover any access points to give her and Cortez the time they need. When that's finished, the shuttle will escape and we'll move toward the center of the base." Shepard said.

"The Rachni are going to provide extra support and distract Cerberus while we move in. I need one team of Geth to assist them. We'll keep contact through EDI; your silent electronic exchange will let us maintain radio silence. Now, let's move out." Shepard ordered.

The Geth all instantly broke the line and headed for separate directions in pairs while the prime went off on its own. Shepard nodded to Tali and they both headed toward EDI. Halfway, an alarm blared in the hangar and an automated voice followed.

"Attention all personnel: We have intruders on the station; all classified material in classes Alpha through Gamma is now subject to termination. All available personnel are to begin purging data immediately. Attention to all security personnel: multiple breaches have been confirmed; Hangars A through D, Hangar F, Hangar I, and Hangar L have been compromised. Lethal force is authorized."

"Damn, that didn't take long. EDI, we need to pick up the pace here. How long until you can gain access to their systems?" Shepard asked as he and Tali closed the distance.

"I am currently at 63% control of the hangar functions, however, the Geth have boosted my processing capacity allowing the process to be completed faster. One minute is all I will need to have access Shepard." EDI stated never taking her eyes off the terminal.

"Good, we need to get this place secured as fast as possible; they are starting to send in security." said Tali.

The sound of an explosion instantly made Shepard turn on his heels as he saw the far side of the room erupt in gunfire. One Geth unit collapsed after taking multiple rounds through its body, sparks flew as metal sheared through metal and the light in the head shattered spewing white coolant across the room. The prime turned and instantly fired the pulse rifle into the door with emerging Cerberus troops, causing several to be thrown backward while one unfortunate soldier received an enormous, smoking hole through the chest.

Shepard and Tali sprang into action rushing toward the nearest cover and circling around the side of the door before more troopers poured through. Tali fired a fully charged shotgun blast into the small crowd from the side, destroying several troopers' shields as Shepard and the other Geth triangulated their fire on the door.

The Cerberus troopers began tossing grenades across the room toward Shepard and Tali as the prime unit summoned its drone to combat. Shepard and Tali ducked down and rolled away from the wall, covering each other as they went. Shepard raised his head, aimed and fired his Valiant as one trooper passed through his scope, sending pieces of his head in every direction.

"Shepard, I now have access to hangar functions. I will lock all available entry points to stop Cerberus reinforcements." EDI chimed through the Commander's earpiece.

The doors around the hangar hissed as each locked with a bulkhead cover as troopers piled through their only escape before it sealed shut. The remaining soldiers turned and found cover, desperate to survive.

"Good work EDI, now go help Cortez finish his repairs, we'll handle the stragglers." Shepard yelled over the gunfire.

EDI had already started toward the shuttle as the hunters on her side cloaked and silently approached the battle. The Centurion leading the troopers fired on the prime, barely denting the shields of the massive robot. Shepard fired and saw another body drop headless as one hunter materialized and fired pointblank on another trooper, spraying the geth with blood. The Centurion turned and pulled out an electrified, tungsten knife and jammed it into the hunter's side, sending smoke and large arcs of blue static through the machine before collapsing.

Shepard fired again, the bullet glancing off the Centurion's head as his shields dropped. The Centurion fired a smoke canister at Shepard and Tali, who had two other geth units with them, and quickly focused on the prime again. The large Geth launched a turret against the door behind the troopers and fired at the Centurion, forcing him to stay on the defense.

The other hunter appeared after one trooper turned to assist the Centurion by destroying the small turret, firing its shotgun into the back of the soldier and killing him instantly. Tali and Shepard made their way closer to the fight, providing cover fire when the Geth needed to reload. Tali turned and saw the hunter fire at the Centurion as he rolled to the side, avoiding the blast. She saw her opportunity and quickly brandished the Paladin Shepard had given her, firing into the shin of the Centurion as he tried to stand.

The soldier howled in pain for only a moment as the hunter smashed his head with the butt of its shotgun, caving the helmet in. A gurgling sound came through the helmet as the Centurion weakly tried pulling the broken helmet off, blood pouring from vents in the mouthpiece. The soldier went limp as Shepard and Tali joined the hunter and the other assembled geth. More than a dozen bodies lay before them, five of them being Geth. Shepard took a deep breath before speaking.

"Alright, they know we're here now so this just got more complicated but our plan is the same: get to the center of the base; find the VI; and escape before this place gets blown up. We need another team of Geth to back us up, tell the closest group to rendezvous with us ASAP. Until then, do whatever you need to patch up while the shuttle's finished." Shepard ordered.

The Geth all found a place to wait as the prime's drone entered hibernation. Several units retrieved their fallen platforms and weapons and began salvaging parts; leaving some intact while others were completely dismantled. Parts that weren't needed were put into other inactive platforms, making nonfunctional units ready for occupation. Shepard turned and walked toward the shuttle with Tali right behind him.

"Cerberus is serious about stopping us this time; these troops had better combat expertise than they did on Horizon, and their armor is better now too. We need to avoid the heavy units at all costs, and I need to warn the Rachni." Shepard said grimly.

"Don't worry Shepard, we _will_ beat them. They can upgrade as much as they want, but it won't matter when the Illusive Man has a bullet in his head." Tali reassured him.

As they got near the shuttle, the engines sputtered to life as EDI and the Geth unit stepped off. The shuttle turned and hovered a moment as Shepard and Tali approached EDI.

"Shepard, the shuttle is functional again and ready to go. It's time I get back to the Normandy; I'll be back to get you though." Cortez said through the earpiece.

"You're clear, Steve; get back there in one piece." Shepard responded.

"Roger that, good luck sir." Cortez said as the shuttle flew through the field and out of sight.

* * *

><p>The alarms were blaring in Hangar C as Rachni soldiers poured from their ships and quickly dispatched the Cerberus troops with ruthless efficiency before ripping covers from the wall and fleeing into the dark network of vents, chirping as they went. The queen could feel the life of each soldier fighting as she cooed solemnly, looking out over the battle in front of her.<p>

She felt the presence of a large group of grey vibrations and instantly sent her children toward them, watching as their energies surrounded the grey. She listened for the dissonant sound of lies and guile for traps, finding none in the grey mess. She screeched, sending her war cry to the waiting soldiers who poured into the room.

Three Atlas mechs stood open; their operators all preparing for combat. More than a dozen other soldiers were in the room, ranging from troopers to a couple Nemeses as the Rachni burst from the vents around the room. The soldiers instantly fired on the first Rachni they saw, as round after round was deflected by the barriers and chitin armor.

The Rachni quickly seized two soldiers and quickly ripped them to pieces with their tentacle-like appendages. The shrieks of the Rachni started after the Atlas mechs came online and fired a rocket on a pair of soldiers, leaving a gory stain on the floor. Brood Warriors screeched as the barriers around the Rachni intensified, while the large males lobbed biotics at the mechs.

"Armor piercing rounds engaged; fire at will!" one soldier shouted from inside his Atlas.

* * *

><p>In a nearly empty room the Illusive Man sat in his chair, watching both the dying star before him and the working security displays. His face was peeling, revealing a horrible synthetic infusion under the eyes and neck that pulsed with a ghastly blue glow. His shirt was partially unbuttoned, revealing his chest had several tubes that wound around the side and attached to his chair regulating the balance between synthetic components and the organic material.<p>

Smoke from his cigarette drifted gently upward as he watched Geth and Rachni forces sweep through the corridors, slowly pushing his own soldiers back. The cameras watching the Geth began changing to static when resistance had dropped. Kai Leng stepped beside his chair, watching the displays as the fighting intensified.

"Mobilize the Phantoms and stop the Geth. I don't want you directly involved yet, but you'll get your chance; Shepard is with them. I'm sure you'll do what is necessary; also, if EDI can be spared for data mining our tactics could improve significantly against this coalition Shepard has been building." the Illusive Man said, taking a drag from the cigarette. His voice was weak and hoarse as he coughed.

"So far, everything is going according to plan; the Rachni have made it all the easier to find Shepard and the Geth, while our ships are holding off the allied races. The Reapers' upgrades are proving more useful than I believed, but we still need time to master indoctrination and what the Catalyst is. Shepard must not reach this VI." he said as he took another drag.

The small green orb that called itself Vendetta sat embedded in the panel beside the Illusive Man's chair, whirling as its data was slowly, and forcefully removed.

"Understood sir, Shepard will be remembered as a martyr instead of a delusional savior after today." the assassin said coldly before turning and leaving the room.

The Illusive Man took another drag from the cigarette before snuffing it out and pulling up a display of his vital signs. The operation had been successful for the most part, but he struggled to keep himself from losing control of the power he had been trying to contain.

Kai Leng made the descent from the Illusive Man's room toward the operations hub. As he came through the door a dozen Phantoms, each with a distinct mark over the forehead, stood waiting and quickly looked to him for their orders.

"Our job is to stop Shepard; eliminate any Geth you find and then bring the fool and his team to me alive. I want him to suffer before he dies; he can watch as all he holds dear is destroyed before his eyes. The machine called EDI is requested to be taken alive by the Illusive Man, but isn't necessary; eliminate it if it gets to be a problem. Now go!" he ordered.

The phantoms all grabbed their blades and ran out of the room as Kai Leng leisurely followed from behind them with a grin on his face.

* * *

><p>A single ship; an old Turian freighter, the Macedyn, outfitted with secondhand armor and weapons drifted toward the large station unnoticed and found a barely functioning hangar. Quickly flying through the small wound, the old freighter landed gently before the ramp opened and Toombs walked out with his team. They numbered more than fifty, and each had a grudge against Cerberus.<p>

Toombs examined the hangar and noticed Geth and Cerberus troops spread out over the floor. A Turian stood next to him, a cigar in his mouth and Revenant in hand. The Turian examined the room and let the cigar drop from his mouth, crushing it under his foot.

"So, what's the plan, boss?" he asked Toombs.

"Shepard seems to have assembled quite a force to fight with; even the Geth fell in line and are here. For now, we go our own way; we'll kill every Cerberus bastard we see and try to find the motherfucker who's behind all this." Toombs said in a low voice.

"What if we find Shepard or his friends? Do we kill them?" the Turian asked.

"Damn it Moran! I would love to see Shepard die here with the rest of these traitors, but the goddamn Reapers aren't going to let that happen. We need Shepard to fight them unfortunately, but when this is over, I intend to see justice exacted on him." Toombs snarled through his teeth.

"For now we'll break up into two teams; I'll take one, you take the other. We fight our way toward the center of this place and kill any Cerberus that gets in our way. Now let's move." Toombs finished.

He started down the ramp and off toward the door closest to him while Moran took the other side. The party of mercenaries and militia divided and filed into the narrow corridors where the fighting had ended.

* * *

><p>The light of hundreds of ships firing in the black of space flickered through the observation deck in the Darwin's CIC as Hackett watched readouts pour onto his display from nearly every ship, each saying the same thing; Cerberus was winning.<p>

The new barriers prevented any serious damage from accumulating on their ships and provided them extra firepower. Geth and Quarian diagnostics weren't breaking through their security efficiently enough to get a proper report, while every second wasted meant more lives were being lost. The grizzled Admiral clenched the rail he stood against until his knuckles turned white.

"I need reports people! These Cerberus ships are chewing our own to pieces and we still don't have an answer. If we don't do something soon, the galaxy will be doomed to the Reapers." The Admiral shouted across the deck.

Another ship ignited into a fireball as Hackett watched, waiting, when an encoded transmission appeared on one operator's display.

"Sir, Admiral Hackett! We have a transmission from the STG regarding the barriers! Patching it now, sir." the man said, flustered.

On Hackett's display, the transmission materialized and the face of a Salarian appeared; he was spotted with dark burns and several cuts.

"Admiral Hackett, our ships aren't strong enough on their own! Our results show that these barriers are reinforced by redundant generators that are charging the systems and protecting their ships from incoming fire. It's not that the material rounds don't work, the energy we use with them is stopping them." the Salarian said through short breaths.

"The element zero we use to manipulate our ships and the space around them is all rooted back to dark energy; and Cerberus, I fear, may be using prototype dark energy barriers. This is a double-edged sword though, as you Humans might say. The ship is now extremely powerful, absorbing the kinetic energy and mass effect fields of our weaponry and converting it back to dark energy on contact, while the outside uses grounding stations to receive the energy and feed the weapon systems." The Salarian paused as a blast rocked the ship he was aboard.

"The drawback to this however, is that the ship is dangerously close to annihilation if the barriers were ever to lose their integrity, they must constantly find a way to vent their drive core's static or risk having the dark energy destroy their ship from the inside and out, resulting in implosion followed by catastrophic explosion." another blast nearly threw the Salarian to the ground.

"Also, the data from the Cerberus fighters show their defense isn't perfect. With enough concentrated fire the cores of small ships can be destroyed. Our data indicates that a frequency running through buoys tied to the whole of Cerberus' fleet is also drawing the barriers from the sun; Anadius feeds their main stronghold and provides the energy for their barriers. Our forces can't destroy them without a total overload of the barrier systems onboard the main base." the Salarian said before another blast rocked the ship and he was consumed in an orange fireball.

Hackett swore under his breath and shook his head before addressing the armada again.

"Listen up people! We have new information on our enemy; they have dark energy barriers, and we need to focus fire on eliminating as many ships from cruiser class down, I want every ship hammering those bastards. I want fighters scrambled to find any grounding sites on the exterior of dreadnought class ships. I want every Geth and Quarian with even a modicum of hacking experience working on sabotaging that dreadnought." Hackett began ordering.

* * *

><p>Shepard was panting as he stood behind a door, enemy fire flying past him as he reloaded his rifle. He saw the hallway they had fought through; dozens of dead Cerberus and Geth bodies lay where they fell. He looked to the other side of the door to Tali and EDI; they listened for breaks in the enemy line and leaned out to return fire. Three boarding parties of Geth had made their way to Shepard; each being whittled away as the enemy fought through attrition, slowly giving ground as the relentless machines pushed deeper into the center of the ship.<p>

Shepard leaned his head out when he heard a pause in the fire and saw Geth hunters appear, firing into the mob of soldiers before he shot one Centurion in the head. The unaware trooper dropped, revealing something Shepard realized too late. A Phantom emerged from its own cloak and shot one hunter through the head before spinning and impaling another on its blade.

The black prime unit gave a deep electronic chirping as it fired with precision on the Phantom causing it to pause while it deflected the shots. Shepard noticed through his scope that the menace had a symbol over the forehead, before using it as a target. The woman's head exploded as Shepard and the prime fired in unison.

"We have Phantoms!" Shepard yelled across to Tali and EDI.

Tali nodded before leaning out to fire while EDI gave no reply; Shepard suddenly remembered she already knew thanks to the link with the Geth. He glanced back out and saw two more Phantoms appear before leaning back to cover. He took a deep breath looking back down the hall toward their entrance, and saw a flicker working its way toward them.

Shepard had to squint to see it was another cloaked figure. As he looked away, he nudged the prime with the barrel of his rifle causing the large Geth to turn. Shepard pointed his barrel down the hall and the Geth followed the barrel to the flicker before chirping harshly and firing a turret toward the shape.

"We're surrounded; try to hold them off!" Shepard yelled out.

Tali instantly turned and saw as four Phantoms appeared each with a distinct symbol over their forehead; they were advancing, and blocking their only escape.

"Keelah, what do we do now?"

Shepard winced in pain as he felt his head throb, and heard screeching echo across his mind.

* * *

><p>Rachni troops lashed out with whip-like arms, slashing through inches of armor as Cerberus troops fought against them. The Geth who found them had almost been wiped out, with only three remaining. The Atlas mechs fired into large groups, scattering any combined attack the Rachni tried. Brood warriors sang with shallow voices, their reserves of stamina beginning to weaken; leaving the soldiers and themselves at risk.<p>

Cerberus was showing no signs of slowing down, two dozen soldiers had emerged during the fight, and more followed them. The Rachni fought valiantly, outnumbered by nearly three times their forces, but their progress had almost stopped completely. The queen could feel her children losing their strength, but rallied them to fight on.

"My children: our day of glory is upon us. In this fight, we prove to the galaxy that the Rachni are not an evil; but instead an ally and worthy race of fighters. Our song will reach the borders of the galaxy, giving any who hear it pause to understand our plight and our redemption." she sang boldly.

The brood warriors shrieked as they found deeper reserves of strength, throwing biotic assaults into the crowd of enemies. One Atlas caught a warp blast to the glass canopy, cracking the dense barrier. The mech returned fire with a shot to one brood warrior's head and a rocket followed, incinerating the warrior and leaving more than half a dozen Rachni exposed.

The infantry wasted no time in firing rampantly at the unguarded fighters, including the prime that stood with them; rounds pierced their armor sending the green life blood of the Rachni flying from the exit wounds and dropping the large machine. The Rachni retaliated by spitting acid up into the cockpit, vapors began rising as the glass broke and the pilot inside howled; his flesh being eaten away by the corrosive bile along with the mech's interior.

The machine began to smoke as the other Atlas pilots pushed up to stop the Rachni, not realizing the destroyed mech was beginning to meltdown. Brood warriors pushed the mechs back as the other exploded, causing the remaining two to buckle under the force on the sides. The gun arms raised and fired again into the Rachni, leaving their barriers gone.

Infantry again fired toward the unprotected Rachni as the brood warriors recovered, the remaining Geth troopers were shot down among them. Then, heavy fire sounded from behind the Rachni line as troopers began falling under explosive shells. The Rachni stood screeching, confused and caught between the barrages of gunfire. Suddenly, one brood warrior turned and saw something that was only remembered in memory; Krogan soldiers, nearly fifty of them rushed up and reinforced their lines, firing with an assortment of Strikers and Claymores. One Krogan rushed up and joined the brood warrior and smiled.

"Hackett sent us. It's no wonder we stomped you bugs into the ground. Where would you be without us now?" he rumbled.


End file.
